Although photovoltaic devices are poised to provide clean renewable energy for the future, production costs have limited the potential of this technology. Photovoltaics convert light into usable electricity using the “photovoltaic effect.” Briefly, two basic steps are involved in the photovoltaic effect. Initially, light is absorbed by an absorber material, a semiconductor. The absorption of the light generates electrons and holes. Secondly, the electrons and holes are separated by a built in electric field, for example a p-n junction. The electrons generated at the p-n junction flow towards the n-type material, which can be captured as produced electricity.
The primary semiconductor absorber materials generally found in existing photovolatics currently employ materials such as amorphous silicon (a-Si), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe). These materials have well-known drawbacks including the employment of toxic, nonabundant and expensive raw materials that limit their successful commercial deployment. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a suitable absorber material that is made of abundant and low cost materials that are nontoxic.